4 ms·

Wanting to avoid this fate is essentially what led me to learn social skills & politics. I literally doubled the profits of one 40-person company and received n

Wanting to avoid this fate is essentially what led me to learn social skills & politics. I literally doubled the profits of one 40-person company and received nothing but a "congratulations." One of the best things you can do is work out an agreement beforehand. Say, "If I accomplish X, Y, and Z in the next year, that's definitely worth (reward Q)." You probably can't get this in writing, but almost any boss will honor their word after a highly specific agreement. This tactic is (part of) how I got a double promotion just 8 months after joining one of the most bureaucratic companies in the world-where the average time for a promotion was 7 years. From a manager's perspective, agreeing to a promotion in exchange for a certain level of performance feels like a business transaction. But being asked for a promotion after an employee has accomplished something feels like you're just paying more for the same work. Irrational, but true. (By the way, if anyone ever wants advice on salary negotiations/corporate politics, I'm always happy to help fellow HNers. My email is in my profile.)

thisone 14y ago
>Say, "If I accomplish X, Y, and Z in the next year, that's definitely worth (reward Q)." You probably can't get this in writing, but almost any boss will honor their word after a highly specific agreement. I've had that in writing, accomplished X, Y, Z and had the reward refused, seemingly at a whim (in truth, the company couldn't afford to keep the promise at that point in time and used whatever cover they could to not pay the promised reward). However, it did provide bargaining power in the future, though I felt dirty afterwards. I could probably use the negotiation/politics advice ;)
- michaelochurch 14y ago
  One thought I would contribute regarding negotiation is that, while you might not get what you want, you can usually get something. If they can't pay you, then ask for a title or autonomy or a better project. These are "free" but can be very valuable, in the long run, for your career. You almost never get everything you want out of a negotiation, but you can almost always get something.

thisone 14y ago

>Say, "If I accomplish X, Y, and Z in the next year, that's definitely worth (reward Q)." You probably can't get this in writing, but almost any boss will honor their word after a highly specific agreement. I've had that in writing, accomplished X, Y, Z and had the reward refused, seemingly at a whim (in truth, the company couldn't afford to keep the promise at that point in time and used whatever cover they could to not pay the promised reward). However, it did provide bargaining power in the future, though I felt dirty afterwards. I could probably use the negotiation/politics advice ;)

michaelochurch 14y ago
One thought I would contribute regarding negotiation is that, while you might not get what you want, you can usually get something. If they can't pay you, then ask for a title or autonomy or a better project. These are "free" but can be very valuable, in the long run, for your career. You almost never get everything you want out of a negotiation, but you can almost always get something.